How it all Began...
Officially, Idaho Technology was incorporated in 1990 in Idaho Falls, Idaho. But the real story stretches back into the early Eighties, when Company co-founder Carl Wittwer, then a graduate student at Utah State University in Logan Utah, hired Kirk Ririe as an undergraduate research technician. Carl, Kirk, and fellow technician Randy Rasmussen became good friends and after a successful research project, they went their separate ways but kept in touch. Carl finished his doctorate and began studying medicine at the University of Michigan, Randy pursued a Ph.D. in molecular biology, and Kirk, while continuing to accumulate hundreds of university credit hours in a diversity of fields, tried his hand at business, taking over management of Agparts, his father's potato equipment company in Idaho Falls.
The Development of Air Thermocycling
 The three friends were scattered, but the lure of the Wasatch Mountains of Northern Utah was great. First Randy, then Carl and finally Kirk were drawn back to some of the best snow and most beautiful mountains in the World. Dr. Carl Wittwer M.D., Ph.D. (affectionately known as Carl) took a research position at the University of Utah Department of Pathology and promptly began generating great ideas. One of these was a rapid thermal-cycling instrument designed to perform DNA amplification reactions. While the University's Technology Transfer Office attempted to out-license the technology, Carl, Kirk, Randy and Richard Andrew a local engineer successfully built a series of prototypes in a corner of Agparts. The resulting 1605 Air Thermo-Cycler instrument was engineered to match the speed of biochemical reactions and was ten times faster than commercially available machines. With startup capital provided by Max Ririe, Carl, and Kirk, Idaho Technology Inc. (ITI), was formed. A license to Carl's technology was purchased from the University of Utah and the company has operated profitably every year since.
Following the modest commercial success of ITI's high speed thermal-cycling devices, in 1996 ITI launched the LightCycler® Instrument, a rapid thermal-cycler with a built in fluorescence detection system for real-time gene quantification. The LC24 and LC32 LightCycler Instruments allowed users to complete typical DNA amplification reactions and analyze the results, in less than 30 minutes. In 1997 Idaho Technology sublicensed the technology to Roche Diagnostic GM., and entered into a multi-year research agreement to develop innovative new products. Our small company quickly out grew its first home and relocated to the University of Utah Research Park, in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Today at Idaho Technology
Now with the close collaboration of Carl Wittwer and his University laboratory, ITI continues to develop exciting new instruments, software, and chemistries for life science researchers and medical technicians, in addition to the US Military, DoD and Homeland Security agencies who use the company's devices to detect or study disease-causing organisms.
Our goal is the elimination of disease. So there is plenty of work left to do. |
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| 1988-1989 |
First prototype machine developed, using tiny thin-walled glass capillary test tubes to increase the surface-to-volume ratio.
Listen to Dr. Carl Wittwer discuss PCR and the development of the RapidCycler.
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| 1990 |
Idaho Technology became incorporated on October 3.
 First commercial machine developed, 1605 ATC, Air Thermocycler This first of it's kind machine held 48 sample tubes, four cycle programs and was able to complete 30 cycles in less than 20 minutes - a significant time savings compared to its predecessor, the heat block cyclers which would takes over two hours for 30 two temperature cycles.
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| 1991 |
First advertisement and article published in January issue of BioTechinques, introducing the Air Thermocycler The response was overwhelming.
click here to view
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| 1992 |
 First volume of "The RAPIDCYCLIST" Newsletter was published.
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| 1993-1994 |
 Awarded National Institute of Health STTR grant for “Continuous Monitoring of Rapid Cycle PCR.”
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| 1995 |
 Introduction of the RapidCycler, a new version of our capillary based temperature cycling system in February. This upgraded instrument held 48 sample tubes, provided improved temperature and noise controls and stored 99 cycle programs.
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| 1996 |
 Birth of the LightCycler Instrument, in July. Our LC24, an innovative instrument that held 24 capillary tubes was a thermocycler that had been integrated with a microvolume I which was capable of Real-time florescence monitoring.
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| 1997 |
LightCycler Instrument, the world’s fastest platform for DNA and RNA identification went to market. This powerful machine drives 1-5 µL amplification reactions at up to 4 cycles per minutes and monitors them by fluorescence as they occur.
Roche Molecular Biochemicals join forces with Idaho Technology and selects the LightCycler Instrument as their platform of choice for PCR diagnostic instrumentation in June. |
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| 1998 |
 Awarded two STTR grants for “Homogeneous Multiplex PCR by Fluorescence and Tm (temperature of melting)” and “High Resolution Melting Curve Analysis” and a SBIR grant from NIH to “Real-time Quantification with Internal Standards.”
Development of the LC32 in February. An upgrade of the LC24 which could hold 32 capillary tubes, had a removable carousel, more fluorescence monitoring colors and upgraded software. |
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| 1999 |
 Worked with the US Air Force to develop the R.A.P.I.D. System, the worlds first Ruggedized Advanced Pathogen Identification Device in March.
Relocated to Salt Lake City, Utah in August.
Recipient of the National Tibbetts Award for outstanding contribution of the SBIR program.
Carl and Kirk were awarded the Franklin Jefferson Award in Science Technology Innovation |
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| 2000 |
IT BioChem, a division of Idaho Technology was created to provide custom made, high-grade probes and primers to their own in-house researcher as well as a growing list of loyal customers.
 Featured as one of the new hot 25 companies by Fortune Small Business magazine in May.
First annual BioTerrorism Response conference held at Idaho Technology Corporate Offices in Salt Lake City, June 23.
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| 2001 |
US Patent Issued. US Patent No. 6,174,670 "Monitoring amplification of DNA during PCR" issued on January 16, 2001. This patent applies to the following licensed technologies:
- Reagents or methods using FRET technology (probes, freeze-dried cocktails, kits etc.).
- Reagents or methods using SYBR Green I technology for real-time PCR and melting curve analysis.
- R.A.P.I.D.
 Featured in the University of Utah's Technology Transfer Office "INNOVATIONS" for the success of their thermocyclers.
 Indy, our personal air thermocycler ships to its waiting customers in May. It receives rave reviews from its beta testers and first owners. This instrument has been licensed to Roche Applied Science.
Was a leading supplier of Anthrax tests and instruments to New York City and Washington DC following the September 11 attacks. |
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| 2002 |
IT BioChem received their first online order. Customers are now able to purchase custom made probes and primers securely online.
 The LightTyper (SNP:O) introduced a low cost instrument for high throughput SNP analysis and genotyping. This instrument has been licensed to Roche Applied Science.
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| 2003 |
 HR-1 Instrument, moved us to the next step in fluorescence monitoring by offering the highest resolution capabilities on the market.
US Patent Issued. Patent No. 6,635,427 for our development of "SimpleProbe technology." This patent was issued on October 21, 2003.
A major milestone was reached by hiring our 100th employee.
LCGreen I, was developed as a low cost melting dye to accompany our HR-1 Instrument.
Awarded September 26, the JBAIDS contract (Joint Biological Agent Identification and Diagnostic System) will deliver instruments, test kits and support for 4+ years to the US Army, Air Force, Navy and Marines.
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| 2009 |
Idaho Technology delivered to the life science market the LightScanner® 32,
the fastest real-time PCR technology combined with the most accurate Hi-Res Melting® System.
Idaho Technology's dedicated their new
building in the University of Utah
Research Park on April 6, to create the Idaho Technology Campus.
The Listeria LT and E.coli O157:H7 Assays received AOAC Research Institute approval. This kit was designed for the R.A.P.I.D.® LT Food Security System.
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| 2010 |
Idaho Technology celebrate 20 years of Innovation.
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RAZOR instrument
Idaho Technology has been honored as one of 
Idaho Technology's corporate web site was redesigned to be more user friendly, application specific and take advantage of the latest media technology.
